1 Peter 2
Notes
Transcript
1 Peter 2
1 Peter 2
Good morning church! We are continuing our study through 1 Peter this morning, picking up in Chapter 2. Just as a reminder, Peter is writing to persecuted Christians that were spread abroad, those that were suffering in Rome, under the leadership of Caesar Nero. This persecution was government sponsored, it originated in Rome and was beginning to spread into Asia Minor.
This letter is perfectly placed in our Bibles following the book of James were we are told to count it all joy when we suffer various trials, because of what those trials produce in us. Then this short little letter talks about suffering in four of it’s five chapters…I’ve always been a little confused about how marriage fits into a letter about suffering as you’ll see in chapter 3, until yesterday that is.
During the men’s breakfast one of the men said, and I want to quote this to get it right...”This marriage thing is hard.” Now I’ve had a completely different experience with it, but I appreciated hearing that as it helped make this book make sense to me. Pray for that brother. Actually, let’s pray for our service.
1 Therefore, laying aside all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking,
As you see, he begins with a therefore, so I want to flip back to chapter 1 and see our connection...
22 Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart,
23 having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever,
SO in chapter 2, Peter challenges us to a different kind of life. Since you have purified your souls, since you have been born again, through the word of God which lives and abides for ever, everything should be different, and everything should look different. Since you have been purified, you must put it into practice…that’s really the end of chapter 1 and the beginning of chapter 2. Then I would outline the rest as follows:
The Bible Knowledge Commentary Outline
Challenged to New Behavior (2:11–3:7)
A. New behavior before the world (2:11–25)
1. Christian conduct as witnesses (2:11–12)
2. Christian conduct as citizens (2:13–17)
3. Christian conduct as slaves (2:18–25)
or servants
1 Therefore, laying aside all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking,
2 as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby,
3 if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious.
jhladf;dl
4 Coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious,
5 you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.
laskjf
6 Therefore it is also contained in the Scripture, “Behold, I lay in Zion A chief cornerstone, elect, precious, And he who believes on Him will by no means be put to shame.”
7 Therefore, to you who believe, He is precious; but to those who are disobedient, “The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief cornerstone,”
8 and “A stone of stumbling And a rock of offense.” They stumble, being disobedient to the word, to which they also were appointed.
Verse 6 won’t be put to shame, won’t be embarrassed, or let down. IT’s not a risk to follow Jesus, He is the security of removing risk.
Verse 7, big, strong Peter says, He is precious!
"44 "And whoever falls on this stone will be broken; but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder."" - Matthew 21:44 NKJV
You either humble yourself and receive Jesus as Savior, and He becomes your Cornerstone, your firm foundation and salvation, or you are offended by Him, and that stone will crush you.
9 But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;
10 who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy.
A Royal priesthood - priests represented God to man and was the go between between man and God...
This applied to the gentiles then who were never a people before coming to Christ. It was the Jews, the chosen people of God and the non-Jews. But those non-Jews were now a chosen generation…Probably us Mainers have a greater understanding of this than any other portion of our country. Because there are Mainers and then those from away…two kinds of people right?
You are from here or you are from away. Well now we are family…I believe this applies to us, not just as much as any other generation, but even moreso. Why, because
"... knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed. 12 The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light." - Romans 13:11-12 NKJV
Have you ever thought about that? Why us? Why were we chosen for this time. A chosen generation...Prophetically, there is nothing else that needs to happen on the timeline before Jesus comes back…we could have been born in God’s divine plan anytime, during the past 2,000 years, but we weren’t we were born, we were saved for such a time as this. We were given the gift of faith to believe now. Chosen to be the people of God now. Why? I read a great quote this week by Charles Spurgeon regarding faith.
He said, “God never gave us faith to play with. Faith is a sword. But it was not made to exhibit upon a parade ground. It was meant to cut and wound and slay. whoever has it may expect, between here and Heaven, to learn what battle means. God has made nothing in vain; He especially makes nothing in the spiritual kingdom in vain. He made faith with the intent that it should be used to the utmost and exercised to the full.”
IT reminded me of the urgency with which Peter writes these next words...
11 Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul,
12 having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles, that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may, by your good works which they observe, glorify God in the day of visitation.
Do you think of sin, specifically your fleshly lusts as something that wars against your soul?
13 Therefore submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake, whether to the king as supreme,
14 or to governors, as to those who are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and for the praise of those who do good.
"1 Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. 2 Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves." - Romans 13:1-2 NKJV
15 For this is the will of God, that by doing good you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men—
16 as free, yet not using liberty as a cloak for vice, but as bondservants of God.
17 Honor all people. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the king.
Is there a time when we don’t have to obey those in governing authority? Yes, Read Acts 4 verses 1-20
This matters when we are told we can no longer preach the gospel. IT matters when we are told we can no longer assemble..."23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. 24 And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, 25 not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching." - Hebrews 10:23-25 NKJV
18 Servants, be submissive to your masters with all fear, not only to the good and gentle, but also to the harsh.
19 For this is commendable, if because of conscience toward God one endures grief, suffering wrongfully.
20 For what credit is it if, when you are beaten for your faults, you take it patiently? But when you do good and suffer, if you take it patiently, this is commendable before God.
Big difference between when we have it coming and when we don’t deserve it and still take it. Why would we do that, who’s example are we to follow?
21 For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps:
22 “Who committed no sin, Nor was deceit found in His mouth”;
23 who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously;
24 who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose stripes you were healed.
25 For you were like sheep going astray, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.
He is the guardian of our souls.
The Letters of James and Peter 2. The Guardian of Our Souls (1 Peter 2:18–25 Contd)
God is the Shepherd and the Guardian of our souls. In his love he cares for us; in his power he protects us; and in his wisdom he guides us in the right way.
William Barclay
Grace and Peace